Spay or Neuter- Things to consider

We require that pups who are placed as family pets get spayed or neutered before receiving the AKC application for limited registry. This is to help keep an unwanted breeding from happening. It is also to protect pedigrees and lines of dogs. When someone has put $5000 + into showing a dog to achieve an AKC title or multiple titles, that is not handed out for the price of a puppy. It is given out infrequently and mainly to someone who is willing to continue the work of showing and taking a dog or a certain line, forward.

 When a dog is spayed or neutered, it not only cuts off reproductive hormones, but it also cuts off growth hormones. All growth plates on a dog do not close until 2 years of age. If a growth plate would not close it could cause hip dysplasia, for one example. Consequently, in the interest of protecting our pups and helping see they have the best opportunity to develop as the strong, healthy dogs we bred them to be, we require, in our contracts, that they not be spayed or neutered until at least TEN months of age. You may do it later, but not earlier and it must be done by 2 years of age. You receive the AKC paperwork after we receive proof of spaying or neutering.

I am attaching a link to a wonderful article that while it supports spay and neuter, suggests, based on medical evidence that many times it would be better to do it a bit later than age 6 months, which is typically recommended. I am in agreement with this article and put it out for you to review.

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/02/17/dangers-of-early-pet-spaying-or-neutering.aspx

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